“He was like a father to me, that’s why he left me his estate in an informal will.” Which case won?
A case in NSW revolved around the question of whether a note on a mobile phone should be admitted to probate as an informal will.
A 79-year-old man had an estate worth $13.6 million.
He had no surviving dependants and lived alone, but maintained close relationships with his older brother and with his best friend, who had become like a son to him.
For years, the man’s solicitor had “badgered” him to make a will, but he kept putting it off, saying he didn’t know what to do with his money.
On 4 August 2022, the man had a severe diabetic episode in the middle of the night and called an ambulance, as well as calling his best friend, who drove to the man’s house.
After the paramedics left at around 3:30am, the man’s friend told him he needed to “put in writing what his intentions were with his property” because “none of us know when we’re going to go.”
